Today, 22 March 2026, the world marks World Water Day under the theme “Water and Gender” and the slogan “Where water flows, equality grows”. And as a partner of UN-Water since 2023, the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) contributed to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2026 (WWDR 2026), titled “Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities,” officially launched at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 19 March 2026.
Through this contribution, WFEO brought a strong engineering perspective to a global discussion on equity and access. Its input took the form of a short paper titled “Water, Women and Engineering” (available here) authored by Dawn Bonfield, Member of the WFEO Committee on Women in Engineering, and Lylian Coelho, Member of the WFEO Committee on Water. Their joint work reflects the value of cross-committee collaboration and highlights the importance of integrating both water expertise and gender perspectives into engineering discussions and practice.
The paper underscores that technical solutions alone are insufficient. It argues that achieving equitable outcomes requires gender-responsive engineering, inclusive governance, and the active participation of women in decision-making at all levels. It also stresses the need to design and manage water systems that reflect the realities of women and girls, who remain disproportionately affected by inadequate access to water and sanitation.
By contributing to the WWDR 2026, WFEO reaffirms its commitment to advancing engineering solutions that support both water security and gender equality.
On this World Water Day, the message remains clear: “Where water flows, equality grows”. Engineering has a critical role to play in ensuring that access to water becomes a driver of inclusion, resilience, and sustainable development for all.
For more information:
Read the short paper “Water, Women and Engineering”
The UN World Water Development Report 2026 (WWDR 2026) report
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2026